Tunis Street Scene 1901

Editor: Here we have Denman Waldo Ross's "Tunis Street Scene," a small oil painting evoking a bustling marketplace. The layering of paint is quite visible. What strikes you about the materiality and process of this piece? Curator: The visible brushstrokes and the textured surface are essential. This isn't just a depiction of Tunis; it's about the labor involved in its making. Ross likely chose oil for its ability to capture light and texture, reflecting a Western gaze on a foreign landscape through the lens of artistic production. How does this interplay of labor and exoticism resonate with you? Editor: It’s interesting to consider the act of painting as a form of labor, especially when representing a culture outside the artist's own. Thank you. Curator: And consider the materials themselves – the sourcing of pigments, the preparation of the canvas. These processes connect the artwork to a network of trade and consumption.